The Human Venture A Global History, Volume 2 (since 1500)

by Esler, Anthony, Professor Emeritus

• ISBN13: 9780131835474
• ISBN10: 0131835475
• Edition: 5th
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2003-07-02
• Publisher: Pearson

Summary

An understanding of the history of the world-and understanding why this knowledge is important-has become essential for today's students. Benefiting from the unifying viewpoint of a single author, this lively two-volume narrative tells the story of human events on the move-the exciting event history of wars and politics, booms and busts, the rise and fall of empires, and more. It also reaches beyond the events that have shaped world history to trace the broader development of human institutions and ideas as they evolve through time. Special attention to art and ideas in each period and civilization.

Author Biography

Anthony Esher has taught history at the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia, for most of his sixty-odd years. But he has also lived in many parts of the United States, accumulated several years of living and travel in Europe, and visited every inhabited continent several times. He spends a minimum of three months overseas each year, sampling the wine, exploring the streets and the ruins, and checking to see if the rainforests are still there. Esler's books reflect his enthusiasms. These include a fascination with generational conflict nurtured in the streets of the sixties, a passion for story-telling, and a preference for panoramic "big picture" history—like The Human Venture.

Table of Contents

Preface	xiii
About the Author	xvi
A Global History Since 1500
INTRODUCTION The Convergence of History	353	(4)
Traveling to Tibet	354	(1)
Global Encounters	354	(1)
The Meanings of Globalization	355	(2)
OVERVIEW IV The World in Balance (1350-1600)	357	(88)
Chapter 15 The West Reborn: Europe in the Renaissance and Reformation (1350-1600)	362	(21)
A Glance Ahead: New Beginnings in Western Europe	363	(1)
The New Wealth	363	(4)
The Western World	500
Years Ago	363	(1)
Economic Revival	364	(1)
Money, Power, and Culture	365	(1)
Renaissance Ladies and Culture	366	(1)
The New Rulers	367	(5)
Revival of Princely Power	367	(1)
France: The Spider and the Knight	368	(1)
Spain: The Golden Century	369	(1)
England: Bluff Prince Hal and Good Queen Bess	370	(2)
The Renaissance of Western Art	372	(3)
The Humanist Movement	372	(1)
Art in the Age of Leonardo and Michelangelo	372	(2)
Literature in the Age of Shakespeare	374	(1)
The Reformation of Religion	375	(5)
Decline of the Western Church	375	(1)
Martin Luther: Here I Stand	376	(2)
John Calvin: Building the New Jerusalem	378	(1)
The Catholic Reformation	378	(1)
The Wars of Religion	379	(1)
The West and the World	380	(3)
Past Contacts	380	(1)
The World Had a Problem	381	(2)
Chapter 16 The Muslim Center: Ottoman Turkey, Safavid Persia, and Mughal India (1450-1650)	383	(20)
A Glance Ahead: Three Islamic Empires Reach Across the Center of Eurasia	384	(1)
The Abode of Islam	384	(3)
A Transregional Zone	384	(2)
A Divided Realm	386	(1)
A Resurgence of Islamic Power	387	(1)
The Power of the Ottoman Empire	387	(3)
The Ghazi Princes	387	(2)
Suleiman the Magnificent	389	(1)
Suleiman's Empire	390	(1)
Persia under the Safavids	390	(2)
The Rise of the Safavids	390	(1)
The Shiite Kingdom	391	(1)
Shah Abbas of Isfahan	392	(1)
The Mughals Reunify India	392	(3)
A Rabble of Adventurers	392	(1)
Babur's India	393	(1)
The Three Lives of Akbar the Great	394	(1)
Islamic Society and Culture	395	(8)
The City and the Village	395	(1)
Women in the Muslim World	396	(1)
Literature and Learning: The Influence of Persia	397	(2)
The Luminous Power of Art	399	(1)
Architecture: The Most Beautiful Building in the World	399	(4)
Chapter 17 Mandarins and Samurai: Ming China and the Emergence of Japan (1350-1650)	403	(19)
A Glance Ahead: China and Japan Loom Large in East Asia	404	(1)
The Confucian Zone	404	(1)
East Asia: The World Beyond the Mountains	404	(1)
China and Its Sphere of Influence	405	(1)
The Ming Dynasty	405	(4)
The Empire in Disarray	405	(2)
The Pig Emperor: Zhu Yuanzhang	407	(1)
Yongle and the Precious Ships	408	(1)
The Later Ming	409	(1)
Ming China	409	(3)
Government and Society: Mandarins and Peasant Masses	409	(1)
Women in Traditional China	410	(1)
A Land of Sages Confronts the Barbarians	411	(1)
Satellite Civilizations-and Emerging Rivals	412	(5)
The Middle Kingdom and Its Neighbors	412	(1)
Influence on Korea and Vietnam	413	(1)
The Emergence of Manchuria	414	(1)
Independent Japan: Land of the Samurai	414	(3)
China and Japan: Contrasting Cultures	417	(5)
Cultural Differences	417	(1)
Ming Culture: Fisherman's Flute to Golden Lotus	417	(1)
Japan: From the Pure Land to Lady Nijo	418	(4)
Chapter 18 Power Beyond Eurasia: Songhai and Great Zimbabwe, the Aztecs and the Incas (1350-1600)	422	(23)
A Glance Ahead: Imperial Outreach in Africa and the Americas	423	(1)
From Songhai to Great Zimbabwe	423	(7)
The Unknown Land	423	(1)
The Western Sudan: Songhai and Kano	423	(4)
Kingdoms of the Guinea Coast: Benin	427	(1)
Central Africa: The Kingdom of Kongo	428	(1)
East Africa: Great Zimbabwe	428	(2)
African Society and Culture	430	(2)
Queens of the Marketplace	430	(1)
The Life of Timbuktu	430	(1)
The Benin Bronzes	431	(1)
The Aztecs: Warrior Lords of Mexico	432	(2)
A Separate World	432	(1)
Mesoamerican Society	432	(1)
The Rise of the Aztecs	433	(1)
The Aztec Empire	433	(1)
The Incas: Empire of the Andes	434	(4)
A Land and People Divided	434	(1)
Forces for Unity	435	(1)
Pachacuti Inca and the Unification of the Andes	436	(1)
The Inca Empire	436	(2)
Parallel Cultures of Mexico and Peru	438	(12)
Aztec Virtues	438	(1)
The Altars of Tenochtitlán	439	(1)
The Sapa Inca and the Virgins of the Sun	439	(1)
The King's Highway	440	(5)
OVERVIEW V The World of Intercontinental Empires (1500-1900)	445	(148)
Chapter 19 Caravels and Cannon: The Rise of Western Imperialism (1500-1800)	450	(23)
A Glance Ahead: European Power Reaches around the Globe	451	(1)
Imperial Means and Motives	451	(6)
Columbus	451	(1)
Looking for a European Advantage	452	(1)
Ships, Compasses, and Guns	452	(3)
Gold, God, and Glory	455	(2)
Europe's Overseas Empires: The Iberians	457	(4)
Three Centuries of Conquest	457	(1)
Portugal in Asia	458	(1)
Spain in Latin America	458	(2)
No Peace beyond the Line	460	(1)
Europe's Overseas Empires: The Interlopers	461	(3)
The Dutch Empire	461	(1)
Colbert and the French Empire	461	(1)
English Enterprise and English Empire	462	(1)
The Struggle for Global Hegemony	463	(1)
Conquest and Commerce	464	(3)
Settlement and Trading Empires	464	(1)
Women in the Colonies	464	(1)
Asia: Silk, Spices, and Tea	464	(2)
Africa: The Slave Trade	466	(1)
The Americas: Sugar and Silver	467	(1)
Long-Range Consequences	467	(6)
The Columbian Exchange	467	(1)
The World Market	468	(1)
The Western Predominance	469	(1)
The Modern World System	469	(4)
Chapter 20 Barricades, Ballots, and Steam: The Transformation of Europe (1600-1900)	473	(32)
A Glance Ahead: A New Europe Emerges	474	(1)
Europe's Emerging Structure of Power	474	(5)
The Old Regime in Europe	474	(1)
France Under Louis XIV: I Am the State	475	(1)
The Continental Absolutists	476	(2)
England's Century of Revolution	478	(1)
Challenges to the Old Regime	479	(5)
Rising Middle Classes and Exploding Population	479	(1)
The Condition of Women	480	(1)
The Scientific Revolution	481	(1)
The Enlightenment	482	(2)
The French Revolution	484	(3)
Causes of the French Revolution	484	(1)
Course of the Revolution	485	(1)
Napoleon Conquers Europe-and Meets His Waterloo	486	(1)
The Industrial Revolution	487	(3)
Energy Revolutions	487	(1)
Causes of the Industrial Revolution	488	(1)
England and the Age of Steam	489	(1)
Main Currents of the Nineteenth Century	490	(5)
Revolutions and Political Change	490	(1)
The Birth of the Modern Ideologies	491	(2)
The Spread of the Industrial Revolution	493	(1)
Women Challenge the System	494	(1)
The Cavalcade of Nations	495	(2)
Britain's Age of Reform	495	(1)
France from Monarchy to Republic	495	(1)
Bismarck and German Unification	496	(1)
Italian Unification	497	(1)
European Art from Classicism to Realism	497	(8)
The Art of the Old Regime	497	(1)
New Moods: Romanticism	498	(1)
New Moods: Materialism	499	(1)
Art and the Image of the Age	500	(5)
Chapter 21 Liberators and Robber Barons: The Americas from Colonies to Countries (1770-1900)	505	(29)
A Glance Ahead: New Western Nations Take Shape in the Americas	506	(1)
The American Revolution	506	(6)
The Thirteen Colonies	506	(1)
Washington and the Revolution	507	(2)
he Development of Democracy	509	(1)
Economic Growth and Territorial Expansion	510	(2)
The Growing Nation: Crisis and Recovery	512	(7)
Civil War: Unity Affirmed	512	(2)
The Gilded Age	514	(1)
The Independence of American Women	515	(1)
Problems of the Growing Nation	516	(1)
Reformers and Imperialists	517	(2)
Latin America Emerges	519	(4)
The Latin American Colonies	519	(1)
The Spirit of Revolt	520	(1)
Latin American Wars for Independence	521	(2)
The New Countries: Caudillos and Progress	523	(4)
The Reign of the Caudillos	523	(1)
Economic Problems: Haciendas and Dependency	524	(1)
Latin American Women	525	(1)
Mexico and the ABC Powers	525	(2)
Provincial Culture	527	(7)
Provinces of the Western World	527	(1)
American Culture: Song of Myself	528	(2)
Latin American Culture: Gauchos and Indians	530	(4)
Chapter 22 Manchus, Zulus, and the Crumbling Muslim Center: Decline and Disarray in Asia and Africa (1650-1870)	534	(31)
A Glance Ahead: Asia and Africa Beset by Problems	535	(1)
Disintegration of the Muslim Center	535	(6)
The End of Asian Preeminence	535	(2)
The Ottoman Empire Retreats	537	(2)
Safavid Persia Becomes a Cockpit	539	(1)
Mughal India Crumbles	540	(1)
The Far East Turns Inward	541	(6)
The Manchu Conquest of China	541	(1)
The Qing Dynasty	542	(1)
Development and Decline	543	(1)
The Tokugawa Shoguns Seize Power in Japan	544	(1)
The Tokugawa Shogunate	545	(1)
Transformation and Tension	546	(1)
Cultures of a Twilight Age	547	(4)
A Backward Glance	547	(1)
Muslims and Hindus Return to the Source	547	(2)
Han Learning and Genroku Culture	549	(1)
Women in an Age of Change	550	(1)
New Nations in Africa	551	(6)
New States South of the Sahara	551	(1)
West Africa: The Jihad States and the Ashanti Confederacy	551	(3)
East Africa: Egypt and Ethiopia	554	(2)
South Africa: The Zulus and the Mfecane States	556	(1)
Political and Economic Changes in Africa	557	(2)
State-Building and State Power	557	(1)
Evolving Commercial Networks	558	(1)
Interaction with Outside Forces	559	(1)
Traditional Cultures in an Age of Transition	559	(6)
Society and Community	559	(1)
Art and Life	560	(1)
Development or Disintegration?	560	(5)
Chapter 23 Maxim Guns and Merchant Bankers: The Climax of Western Imperialism (1870-1900)	565	(28)
A Glance Ahead: European Mastery of Asia and Africa	566	(1)
The Nature of the New Imperialism	566	(3)
A New Wave of Imperial Expansion	566	(1)
Motives of the New Imperialists	567	(1)
Means: The World Down the Barrel of a Maxim Gun	568	(1)
Forms of Imperial Control	569	(1)
The Scramble for Africa	569	(4)
First the Treaties, Then the Troops	569	(2)
Britain and Indirect Imperialism	571	(1)
An Extension of France Overseas	572	(1)
Other Powers Seek Their Places in the Syul	572	(1)
The Exploitation of Asia	573	(6)
Loans and Rights of Way	573	(2)
Great-Power Competition in the Middle East	575	(1)
Britain and France in India and Southeast Asia	575	(1)
The Opening of Japan	576	(1)
The Open Door to China	577	(2)
Internal Imperialism	579	(4)
Pacifying, Settling, Civilizing	579	(1)
Russia's Eastward Expansion	580	(2)
America's Western Expansion	582	(1)
The Western Empires and Colonial Resistance	583	(3)
Two Ways to Resist	583	(1)
Khartoum and the Little Big Horn	584	(1)
The New Great Power of the East	585	(1)
Western Impact on Non-Western Peoples	586	(12)
Material Impact of Imperialism	586	(1)
Cultural Impact of Imperialism	587	(1)
Economic Integration	588	(1)
Climax of the Modern World System	589	(1)
Global Impact of the World System	590	(3)
OVERVIEW VI The Struggle for the Global Future (1900-1990)	593
Chapter 24 A World Order Comes Unstuck: World War I and the Great Depression (1914-1939)	598	(25)
A Glance Ahead: Global War and Economic Collapse Shake a Westernizing World	599	(1)
Causes of the First World War	599	(4)
Assassination at Sarajevo	599	(1)
Nationalism, Economics, and Militarism	600	(1)
Imperial Rivalries	601	(2)
The Course of the War	603	(5)
Leaders and Campaigns	603	(1)
Trench Warfare and Total War	604	(2)
European Colonies and the War	606	(1)
Non-European Powers and the War	607	(1)
Consequences of the War to End War	608	(4)
Casualties: Ten Million Dead	608	(1)
A Bad Peace and a Shaken Society	609	(1)
Growing Empires and New Powers	610	(1)
New Visions: The League of Nations	611	(1)
Trends of the Twenties and Thirties	612	(3)
Flappers and Fellahin	612	(1)
The World Economy in Trouble	613	(1)
Technology in the Age of Ford	614	(1)
The Western Democracies between the Wars	615	(8)
Jazz Age America	615	(1)
FDR and the New Deal	616	(2)
Britain and France Muddle Through	618	(1)
The Commonwealth Countries: Capable of Coping	619	(1)
The Latin American Nations: Voices for Ideals	619	(4)
Chapter 25 A Schizophrenic Age: Revolution and Totalitarianism Shake the World (1910-1949)	623	(30)
A Glance Ahead: Revolutionaries and Dictators Menace the World	624	(1)
Ideological Revolution-and the Flight from Freedom	624	(3)
The Central Role of Ideology	624	(1)
Scope and Scale of the Major Revolutions	625	(1)
Defining Totalitarianism	625	(2)
Revolutions in Russia and China	627	(8)
Lenin and the Bolsheviks	627	(1)
The Russian Revolutions of 1917	628	(2)
The Stalin Revolution	630	(1)
The Legacy of Sun Yixian	631	(1)
Warlords and Student Rebels	632	(1)
Jiang Jieshi versus Mao Zedong	633	(2)
Rumblings of Revolution around the World	635	(4)
The Mexican Revolution	635	(2)
India: Gandhi and the Congress Party	637	(1)
Africa: The Anti-Imperialists Organize	638	(1)
Totalitarianism in Russia and Germany	639	(7)
Stalin's Iron Age	639	(2)
The Stalinist Terror	641	(1)
Failure of the Weimar Republic	642	(2)
Hitler in Power	644	(1)
Nazism and the Holocaust	645	(1)
Fascists, Militarists, and Other Authoritarians	646	(7)
Mussolini and Italian Fascism	646	(1)
The Militarists in Japan: The Day of the Assassins	647	(1)
A Great Authoritarian Tide	648	(5)
Chapter 26 Blitzkrieg and Burning Cities: World War II (1939-1945)	653	(26)
A Glance Ahead: The Biggest War Leaves a Europe-Centered World Order in Ruins	654	(1)
Causes of the Second World War	654	(5)
Long-Range Causes	654	(1)
Italian and Japanese Aggression	655	(2)
The Spanish Civil War	657	(1)
Hitler's War Begins	658	(1)
War around the World: Axis Victories	659	(5)
The German Blitzkrieg	659	(3)
The Battle of Britain	662	(1)
Barbarossa and Pearl Harbor	662	(2)
War around the World: Allied Triumph	664	(5)
The Allied Counterattack: North Africa and Italy	664	(1)
Stalingrad and D-Day	665	(1)
Asia and the Pacific War	666	(2)
Allied Victory: Berlin to Tokyo	668	(1)
Consequences of World War II	669	(3)
Total War	669	(1)
Women at War	670	(1)
Casualties and Destruction: Fifty Million Dead	670	(2)
The Postwar World	672	(7)
A World in Ruins	672	(1)
The Peace Settlement	672	(1)
Postwar Recovery	673	(2)
The United Nations	675	(4)
Chapter 27 The Cold War and the Age of Uhuru: A Half Century of Conflict (1945-1994)	679	(30)
A Glance Ahead: Crumbling Empires and Feuding Superpowers Reshape the Globe	680	(1)
East Versus West: The Two Superpowers	680	(4)
The U.S.A. versus the U.S.S.R.	680	(1)
Postwar Gains of the Superpowers	681	(2)
Conflicts after the War	683	(1)
Confróntations around the World	684	(6)
Conflict and Rebellion in Europe	684	(1)
Revolution in Latin America	685	(2)
American Wars in Korea and Vietnam	687	(1)
Russia's War in Afghanistan	688	(1)
Confrontation between the Superpowers	689	(1)
The End of the Cold War	690	(4)
Coexistence and Détente	690	(1)
The Arms Race and Disarmament	691	(1)
The Disintegration of the Soviet Bloc	692	(2)
The Collapse of the Soviet Union	694	(1)
North versus South: The Liberation Struggles	694	(3)
Causes of the Collapse of the Intercontinental Empires	694	(1)
Patterns of Liberation Struggle	695	(1)
Regional and Traditional Sources of Conflict	696	(1)
The Winds of Change in Africa	697	(5)
Ghana and Algeria: Two Roads to Liberation	697	(1)
Conflict in Kenya	698	(1)
Congo Crisis	699	(1)
The Long Struggle in South Africa	700	(1)
Mandela for President!	701	(1)
Asia in Arms	702	(7)
Israel and the Arab World	702	(1)
Struggle for Power in the Middle East	703	(1)
India versus Pakistan	704	(1)
War in Southeast Asia	705	(1)
China and Its Ancient Sphere	705	(4)
Chapter 28 Skyscrapers and Shantytowns: Rich Countries and Poor Countries (1945-2000)	709	(32)
A Glance Ahead: Developed and Developing Societies Divide the World	710	(1)
Strategies for Progress: The United States in the American Epoch Age	710	(5)
Power Structures	710	(2)
Postwar Problems and Predominance	712	(1)
The Turbulent Sixties	713	(1)
The Conservative Resurgence	714	(1)
Strategies for Progress: From Western Europe to the Pacific Rim	715	(3)
Germany: Revival and Reunification	715	(1)
Western Europe: Prosperity and Community	715	(2)
Japan: The New Economic Superpower	717	(1)
The East Asian Rim: South Korea to Singapore	717	(1)
Peoples of Plenty: From Canada to Israel	718	(1)
Development and Disaster: The U.S.S.R. and the Communist Bloc	718	(4)
Soviet Achievements-and Unsolved Problems	718	(2)
Gorbachev and the Soviet Collapse	720	(1)
Eastern Europe: From Slow Growth to Rebirth	720	(1)
Looming Problems: Development and Nationalism	721	(1)
The Politics of Development: Asia	722	(5)
Patterns of Power: Military Rule, One-Party Rule-and Revolution	722	(1)
China's Long Road to Development	723	(1)
India: The World's Largest Democracy	724	(2)
Arab Nationalism and Islamic Resurgence	726	(1)
Mounting Tensions in Asia	727	(1)
The Politics of Development: Africa and Latin America	727	(3)
Black Africa's Struggle	727	(2)
Latin American Revolutions	729	(1)
Political Progress and Economic Challenges	729	(1)
Developed and Developing Societies	730	(11)
New Technologies: From the Jet Plane to the Internet	730	(2)
The Helicopter Economy	732	(1)
Liberated Women, Restless Youth	732	(1)
Village People	733	(2)
Shantytowns	735	(1)
Poverty, Dependency, and Debt	736	(5)
Chapter 29 From Eliot to Afro-Pop: Art and Thought Around the World (1900-2000)	741	(21)
A Glance Ahead: The Rocky Road to Global Culture	742	(1)
A Disintegrating World View	742	(6)
From Atoms to Outer Space	742	(2)
Psychology and Sociobiology	744	(1)
From Existentialism to Deconstruction	745	(2)
Creeds, Cults, and Fundamentalisms	747	(1)
Art among the Isms	748	(5)
The Rise of Modernism	748	(1)
Modernism around the World	749	(1)
Revolutionary and Totalitarian Propaganda in the Arts	750	(2)
The Rise of Postmodernism	752	(1)
Postmodernism around the World	752	(1)
Continental Cultures	753	(3)
European Literature Bears Witness	753	(1)
America's Cultural Critique	754	(1)
Latin American Magical Realism	754	(1)
Africa's Search for Cultural Identity	755	(1)
Asia's Confrontation with Cultural Change	755	(1)
Popular Cultures with a Global Reach	756	(6)
Folk Art Goes Cosmopolitan	756	(2)
Popular Arts, From Music to the Movies	758	(1)
Counterflow: The Rest and the West	759	(3)
Chapter 30 The American Age and Its Foes: America, Globalization, and Terror	762
A Glance Ahead: The Problem of American Power	763	(1)
The New World Order	763	(6)
America at the Head of the Table	763	(1)
Europe Inches Toward Unity	764	(1)
Asia and the Islamic World on Different Paths	765	(1)
Africa and Latin America Beset by Problems	766	(2)
Global Boom, Global Bust	768	(1)
Globalization and the Antiglobalizers	769	(4)
America's Global Foreign Policy	769	(1)
America's Wars in Central America, the Balkans, and the Persian Gulf	769	(1)
The Ties that Globalize	770	(1)
The Antiglobalizers	771	(2)
Opposition to America's Role in Globalization	773	(1)
America's War on Terrorism	773	(5)
The Road to 9/11	773	(1)
Twin Towers Down	774	(2)
Lashback in Afghanistan	776	(1)
Regime Change in Iraq	777	(1)
Rogue States in the Crosshairs?	778	(1)
A New Global Era-or a New Global Empire?	778
Reactions to America's Global Power	778	(1)
Consequences of America's Global Power	779	(1)
World Views in Conflict Threaten a Globalizing World	780	(2)
Globalization, Peace, and the Frightened Dutchman	782

Excerpts

Prefaces are always challenging, and the prefaces to this book seem to get more challenging with each new edition. For a preface is at least in part a look ahead. And in the opening years of the twenty-first century, the global prospect before us looks less predictable than ever.This fifth edition ofThe Human Venture,like its predecessors, attempts to provide a historical background to the changing world of today. Like earlier editions, this one tries to offer a genuinely global perspective, rather than a European history with add-ons about other cultures. It still aims at the broadest possible coverage--coverage of women as well as of men, of preurban as well as of urban-imperial peoples, of culture as well as of politics. It still tries to humanize the past with emphasis on the historical roles of individual human beings, from ancient emperors to laboring peasants. And this particular version of our global past still builds on a strong narrative line that reflects the nature of history as the author sees it--as a story going somewhere, obscure though that somewhere may still be to the principal historical actors--us.A major goal of this new edition has been to adapt the book more closely to the requirements of classroom teaching and learning. The number of chapters, for instance, has been reduced from fifty to thirty--roughly the number of weeks in many academic years. This change, I hasten to add, has been largely accomplished by combining chapters, not by cutting! All chapters have again been revised, and each now has a new theme-setting "Glance Ahead" opener and a substantially updated bibliography.There are also some new maps, some new pictures, and a new emphasis on the "Voices from the Past" boxes--one for each chapter now. The "Overviews" introducing each of the six large sections into which the book is divided have also been revised, and a new big-picture time line appended to each. And the book as a whole has been redesigned in a "trade-book" format that I hope will be easier for the reader to hold while absorbing the carefully digested insights of twenty-five centuries of historians from many times and lands.Once more, I have included the odd anecdote and I hope some new insights picked up during the three months or more I spend overseas each year. Several weeks each on the upper Amazon, across the Outback and the Top End of Australia; in the Northwest Frontier Province of Pakistan, and among the ethnic minority villages of western China have certainly added to my respect for the indigenous peoples of the world. And annual visits to familiar neighborhoods in favorite European cities serve as a healthy reminder that the peoples of the developed world have a lot to teach each other too.A key function of the preface, finally, remains to express proper gratitude to the many people without whom there would be no book at all. Here a primary debt must be to Charles Lavaliere, the new Prentice Hall history editor, for injecting a surge of youthful dynamism into this particular venture into the human past. Many thanks also to Emsal Hasan and Patty Donovan for getting me through the hard part--finishing--and to Adrienne Paul for handling every unlikely request of mine effectively and expeditiously.Without the shared insights and shrewd criticisms of scholarly readers, of course, a synthesis as broad as this would be impossible. My thanks, then, to Kenneth Wilburn, East Carolina University; Louis McDermott, California Maritime Academy; Trevor Getz, University of New Orleans; Robert Garfield, DePaul University; and Pamela McVay, Urtuline College.Thanks for past critical readings should also go to Akanmu G. Adebayo, Kennesaw State University; Alana Cain Scott, Morehead State University; Elizabeth C. George, Southern Illinois University; Farid Mahdavi-Izadi, San Diego State University; Linda L. Taber, Wayne. State U